The Munich Radio Orchestra is the stylistically most diverse orchestra in the city. This begins with the unique series “Paradisi gloria”, which offers rare contemporary sacred music in the Herz-Jesu-Kirche, this time including Charles Koechlin’s “Les heures persanes”, sixteen impressions from Persia for orchestra, conducted by Leo Hussain. Once again there is an extensive program for children and young people: “25 percent of the orchestra’s time is devoted to education projects,” calculated manager Veronika Weber when presenting the new season.
There is a homage to Édith Piaf, Christmas film music, “Gershwin Melodies” or a New Year’s Eve gala with Charles Castronovo. The tenor, who can often be heard at the Bavarian State Opera, is Artist in Residence. With “Viva Puccini” he is at the center of a concert celebrating the 100th anniversary of the composer’s death; his CD with his songs arranged for orchestra by Johannes Schachtner will be released in November.
Castronovo is also prominently represented in Verdi’s “Ernani”. The Munich Radio Orchestra and its chief conductor Ivan Repušić are thus continuing the cycle with early Verdi after “Luisa Miller”, “I due Foscari”, “Attila” and finally “Il Lombardi” (see review) in the Prinzregententheater. The collaboration with “Palazzetto Bru Zane”, the Foundation for French Romantic Music in Venice, will also be continued under the “Sunday Concerts” label, this time with the late musical comedy “Ô mon bel inconnu” by Reynaldo Hahn. Later there are two one-act plays by Sergei Rachmaninoff (“Aleko” and “Francesca da Rimini”) and Alexander Zemlinsky’s “Lyric Symphony” with Marlis Petersen and Milan Siljanov.
A rarity should be exciting again, in which the Munich Radio Orchestra plays exceptionally in the ditch and once again accompanies a scenic production of the August Everding Theater Academy. The program features the opera “Zanaida” by Johann Christian Bach, which was rediscovered only ten years ago, about a Turkish princess and her marriage to a Persian king to seal a peace agreement.
In the second half of 2023, the BR label with the Rundfunkorchester will release songs arranged for orchestra with the young baritone Benjamin Appl, as well as Hindemith’s “Cardillac” with Juliane Banse, Markus Eiche and Torsten Kerl, and Zemlinsky’s ” Eine Florentinische Tragedy”. with Christopher Maltman, Rachael Wilson and Benjamin Bruns.